--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No one can be a yogi, maintaining a state…" description: "\"No one can be a yogi, maintaining a state of mental equilibrium, free from inner involvement in planned desireful activities, unless he has renounced i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/paramahansa-yogananda-556_ego_no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state_2614983.jpg" --- # No one can be a yogi, maintaining a state of mental… ![“No one can be a yogi, maintaining a state of mental equilibrium, free from inner involvement in planned desireful activities, unless he has renounced identification with his ego and its unsatisfiable lust for the fruits of actions.” quote by Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/paramahansa-yogananda-556_ego_no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state_2614983.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/paramahansa-yogananda-556_ego_no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state_2614983.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/paramahansa-yogananda-556_ego_no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state_2614983.jpg) > “No one can be a yogi, maintaining a state of mental equilibrium, free from inner involvement in planned desireful activities, unless he has renounced identification with his ego and its unsatisfiable lust for the fruits of actions.” [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving yogic equilibrium requires renouncing ego and desire, freeing the mind from attachment to outcomes. **In simple terms:** True peace needs ego‑lessness and desire‑renunciation. Key Takeaway Practice detachment. Themes spirituality ego desire mindfulness Mood serene reflective Type spiritual philosophical When to use this quote - retreats - daily mindfulness - ethical living Key Concepts yoga philosophy meditation self‑realization Questions to Reflect On - How can you reduce ego in daily life? - What desires hinder your inner peace? A Different Perspective May be challenging for laypeople. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Ego Unsatisfiable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-unsatisfiable-2059767/) [Enlightenment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enlightenment/) [Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free/) [Identification Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identification-ego-1851842/) [Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner/) [Lust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust/) [Mental Equilibrium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-equilibrium-2059768/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) [Yogi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yogi/) [Yogi Maintaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yogi-maintaining-2059769/) ## Related quotes > [Boredom is your window on the properties of time that one tends to ignore to the likely peril of one's mental equilibrium. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/boredom-is-your-window-on-the-properties-of-time-that-one-tends-to/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Genuine mental health would involve a balanced interplay of both modes of experience, a way of life in which one's identification with the ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritjof-capra/genuine-mental-health-would-involve-a-balanced-interplay-of-both/) [Fritjof Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fritjof-capra/) > [As Hubert Benoit said, it is not the identification with the ego that is the problem, but the exclusive nature of the identification. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/as-hubert-benoit-said-it-is-not-the-identification-with-the-ego-that/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [God-realization is attained only by great effort on the part of the yogi and by divine grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/god-realization-is-attained-only-by-great-effort-on-the-part-of-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The yogi offers his labyrinthine human longings to a monotheistic bonfire dedicated to the unparalleled God. This is indeed the true yogic fire ceremony,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-yogi-offers-his-labyrinthine-human-longings-to-a-monotheistic/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [When the yogi starts to meditate, he must leave behind all sensory thoughts and all longings for possessions by quieting the waves of feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/when-the-yogi-starts-to-meditate-he-must-leave-behind-all-sensory/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [I find my earliest memories covering the anachronistic features of a previous incarnation. Clear recollections came to me of a distant life, a yogi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/i-find-my-earliest-memories-covering-the-anachronistic-features-of-a/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“A God-tuned master: Innocent of all personal motives, and employing the creative will bestowed on him by the Creator, a yogi rearranges the light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/a-god-tuned-master-innocent-of-all-personal-motives-and-employing-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The greatest dread of ordinary man is death, with its rude imposition interrupting fortuitous plans and fondest attachments with an unknown and unwelcome change.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-greatest-dread-of-ordinary-man-is-death-with-its-rude-imposition/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [By the definite science of meditation known for millenniums to the yogis and sages of India, and to Jesus, any seeker of God can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/by-the-definite-science-of-meditation-known-for-millenniums-to-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [When a man in the process of dreaming becomes conscious that he is dreaming, he is no longer identified with the phenomena; he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/when-a-man-in-the-process-of-dreaming-becomes-conscious-that-he-is/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The yogi should meditate on a firm seat, one that is clean - untainted by dirt or unspiritual vibrations of others. The thought or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-yogi-should-meditate-on-a-firm-seat-one-that-is-clean-untainted/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [A true yogi may remain dutifully in the world; there, he is like butter on water and not like the easily-diluted milk of unchurned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/a-true-yogi-may-remain-dutifully-in-the-world-there-he-is-like-butter/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Is it necessary to practice all these asanas, further and further? Is it necessary to develop scientific researches further and further? To a yogi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/is-it-necessary-to-practice-all-these-asanas-further-and-further-is/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) > [A yogi's brain extends from the bottom of the foot to the top of his head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-k-s-iyengar/a-yogi-s-brain-extends-from-the-bottom-of-the-foot-to-the-top-of-his/) [B.K.S. Iyengar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-k-s-iyengar/) ## More by Paramahansa Yogananda > [With the realization of God comes all power. If the little wave knew that behind it is the great ocean, it could say, "I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/with-the-realization-of-god-comes-all-power-if-the-little-wave-knew/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Love cannot be had for the asking; it comes only as a gift from the heart of another](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/love-cannot-be-had-for-the-asking-it-comes-only-as-a-gift-from-the/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [He who is persistent will realize God. So try your best to make meditation a regular experience in your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/he-who-is-persistent-will-realize-god-so-try-your-best-to-make/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Truth is exact correspondence with reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/truth-is-exact-correspondence-with-reality/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [We should bathe our spirits in the deep, pure feeling that stirs within us when we gaze on the glories of His creation. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/we-should-bathe-our-spirits-in-the-deep-pure-feeling-that-stirs/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/since-you-alone-are-responsible-for-your-thoughts-only-you-can-change/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Mankind is engaged in an eternal quest for that ‘something else' he hopes will bring him happiness, complete and unending.For those individual souls who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/mankind-is-engaged-in-an-eternal-quest-for-that-something-else-he/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Just as oil is present in every part of the olive, so love permeates every part of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/just-as-oil-is-present-in-every-part-of-the-olive-so-love-permeates/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [The mother's love is not given to us to spoil us with indulgence, but to soften our hearts, that we may in turn soften…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/the-mother-s-love-is-not-given-to-us-to-spoil-us-with-indulgence-but/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“If one busies himself with an outer display of scriptural wealth, what time is left for silent inward diving after the priceless pearls?” Sri”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/if-one-busies-himself-with-an-outer-display-of-scriptural-wealth-what/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [When you meditate the glory of the Divine shines forth. You realize then that all along there was something tremendous within you and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/when-you-meditate-the-glory-of-the-divine-shines-forth-you-realize/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [He who knows his soul knows this truth: " I am beyond everything finite; I I now see that the Spirit, alone in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/he-who-knows-his-soul-knows-this-truth-i-am-beyond-everything-finite/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [Possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake. If material poverty is to be avoided,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/possession-of-material-riches-without-inner-peace-is-like-dying-of/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [“Physicians must carry on their work of healing through God’s laws as applied to matter.” But he extolled the superiority of mental therapy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/physicians-must-carry-on-their-work-of-healing-through-god-s-laws-as/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [If you have a strong mind and plant in it a firm resolve, you can change your destiny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/if-you-have-a-strong-mind-and-plant-in-it-a-firm-resolve-you-can/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) [Explore all 466 Paramahansa Yogananda quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) ## More Ego quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [I love playing ego and insecurity combined.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-carrey/i-love-playing-ego-and-insecurity-combined/) [Jim Carrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-carrey/) > [“sometimes when everything seems at its worst when all conspires and gnaws and the hours, days, weeks years seem wasted – stretched there upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/sometimes-when-everything-seems-at-its-worst-when-all-conspires-and/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [I'm a straight shooter, and most of the time my ego doesn't interrupt my relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-macht/i-m-a-straight-shooter-and-most-of-the-time-my-ego-doesn-t-interrupt/) [Gabriel Macht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-macht/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [Beware of self-indulgence. The romance surrounding the writing profession carries several myths: that one must suffer in order to be creative; that one must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/beware-of-self-indulgence-the-romance-surrounding-the-writing/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [“There are two kinds of people: goal-oriented and ego-oriented. Goal-oriented people work together and get things gone. Ego-oriented people don’t work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charbel-tadros/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-goal-oriented-and-ego-oriented-goal/) [Charbel Tadros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charbel-tadros/) > [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [I hate acting when I see it. I don't want to feel it, I don't want to see it, I want to be taken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-hauer/i-hate-acting-when-i-see-it-i-don-t-want-to-feel-it-i-don-t-want-to/) [Rutger Hauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-hauer/) > [It's a constant man-ego-check going on in the streets, in this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/it-s-a-constant-man-ego-check-going-on-in-the-streets-in-this-world/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [“... a man doesn't like to have his ego popped, especially when he prides himself on his sagacity, and then to be proved wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-a-bucchianeri/a-man-doesn-t-like-to-have-his-ego-popped-especially-when-he-prides/) [E.A. Bucchianeri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-a-bucchianeri/) > [Our real nature is not our imaginary, limited ego. Our true nature is vast, all-comprehensive, and intangible as empty space.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anagarika-govinda/our-real-nature-is-not-our-imaginary-limited-ego-our-true-nature-is/) [Anagarika Govinda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anagarika-govinda/) > [The man of wisdom is devoid of ego even though he may appear to use it. His vacant or fasting mind is neither doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-s-balsekar/the-man-of-wisdom-is-devoid-of-ego-even-though-he-may-appear-to-use/) [Ramesh S Balsekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-s-balsekar/) > [Show me success without ego!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivana-trump/show-me-success-without-ego/) [Ivana Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivana-trump/) [Browse all 3,462 Ego quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "No one can be a yogi, maintaining a state of mental equilibrium, free from inner involvement in planned desireful activities, unless he has renounced identification with his ego and its unsatisfiable lust for the fruits of actions.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paramahansa Yogananda" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state-of-mental-equilibrium-free/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ego" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state-of-mental-equilibrium-free/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/paramahansa-yogananda-556_ego_no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state_2614983.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/paramahansa-yogananda-556_ego_no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state_2614983.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/paramahansa-yogananda-556_ego_no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state_2614983.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“No one can be a yogi, maintaining a state of mental equilibrium, free from inner involvement in planned…” — Paramahansa Yogananda", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Paramahansa Yogananda", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "No one can be a yogi,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state-of-mental-equilibrium-free/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/no-one-can-be-a-yogi-maintaining-a-state-of-mental-equilibrium-free/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```